"(It) could have been a lot worse," said Coleman's brother, Dylan Mallard. "Very, very amazing. I mean, it's straight concrete."

Mallard received a text from his mom about his brother, who was playing at the old factory near 3rd Street, next to the train tracks behind the borough building and police department, with another 8-year-old sibling.

"I was devastated. I saw the chopper. I thought it was that, and I was just running. I was screaming and running," said Mallard.

According to a police report, two friends ran to a nearby business and called 911 after Coleman fell. Police said the boy was conscious when they arrived.

"I was surprised that he was conscious when we got there, let alone speaking with us," Lt. Ronald Benoit said.

Teens who live near the factory said it’s a popular place for children to play and climb in the beams, even though they know it is dangerous.

"There are three ladders that climb up into the upper section. The boards there are probably like 20 or 30 years old, so the kids walk on the boards and they fall," said teen Val Ross. "It's a death trap."

"I go up there. I make sure I'm safe so I don't fall. I go up there by myself. But having little kids go up there -- 12, 13 years old -- it's not safe," said R.J. Shelton.

Although the structure is surrounded by fences, getting inside is not difficult.

"See right there? Big hole. Anything could get in there," said Shelton.

Climbing into the rafters is also easy. There are ladders that reach from the ground to the ceiling.

Mayor Rosemary Bradley said she hasn't heard any concerns about safety at the factory, or about children playing in it since she took office in January. But she said she has been speaking with the building's current owner since the accident.

"I think that when the gentleman comes down and we sit down to talk about it, we'll come to some solution," said Bradley. "I'd like to see the whole building come down."

Bradley said the building was originally a U.S. Steel factory, and is now owned by Joe Kovalchick of Indiana, Pa. His company specializes in rail materials and steel, including salvaged materials.

Glassport’s police chief spoke with the owner, who promised to make sure the fences at the facility are mended and ladders leading to the top are destroyed, though a time frame for those changes wasn’t immediately available.

"I hope it gets destroyed, for one. But, they should have done something long ago," Mallard said.